BASEBALL

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Former Charleston Southern pitcher Tyler Thornburg is on the move as the Major League Baseball (MLB) winter meetings continue at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.

Thornburg was one of several players to switch teams Tuesday afternoon as the hard-throwing reliever was the headliner of a four-player deal between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox.

Thornburg, projected as the Red Sox eighth-inning reliever for the 2017 season, was traded by the Brewers for three prospects including first baseman/third baseman Travis Shaw, infield prospect Mauricio Dubon, and Single-A pitcher Josh Pennington.

Thornburg posted a 2.15 ERA, 13 saves and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 67 appearances last season, taking over as Milwaukee's closer after Jeremy Jeffress was dealt to Texas at the trade deadline. Red Sox manager John Farrell cited a lower arm slot as the primary reason for Thornburg's breakthrough as a power pitcher, while president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski called Thornburg's curveball a "dominant pitch."